This is Surprise Hill, a steep hill to the north west of Ladysmith. It had born the name of Mdaka (or Vaalkop in Afrikaans) until, to the surprise of the British, the Boers dragged their gun to the summit and opened fire. Henceforth the hill was called Surprise Hill. It was almost 3½ miles from King’s Post and rose 700 feet above the valley between Thornhill’s Kop and Bell’s Kop.
